Peter de long



mum) P. DE LONG.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

No. 394,681. Patented Dec. 18, 1888.

E i 33:5 v i 55ini=5: MW g:1552iif+gglgiig3EM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER DE LONG, OF EL\VOOD, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 E. (O\VELL, OF SAME PLACE.

GEORGE RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,681, dated. December 18, 1888.

I Application filed July 23, 1888. Serial No. 280.762. (No model.)

To (LY/Z 11171.07, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, PETER DE LONG, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Elwood, in the county of \\'ill and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Switches, of which the following a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, and the letters and figures of reference thereon, Forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the switch, showing it set for the side track. Fig. 2 is'a detail view of a portion of the switch, showing the sliding section of the side track moved ott' the main rail, leaving the switch set for the main track. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 2, taken on line 1, looking toward the top of the figure, and also showing a cross-section of both main rails. Fig. i is a perspective view of the slide forming a section of one of the rails of the side track crossing the main rail; and Fig. 5 is a side view of said sliding railsection, showing lugs on its side for inclosing the heads of the rails upon which it slides.

Referring to the drawings, A and A represent the main-track rails, which are both unbroken.

B and B are the switch-rails terminating in the ordinary movable-point. switch, connected by the connecting-rod g, which is connected to crank of shaft (1, by means of which said point-rails are operated in the ordinary manner. The switch-rail B has a section removed in its part that would in i ersect or cross the main rail A, as shown in Figs. 1. and 2, and its ends adjacent to the said main rail are elevated to be above the top line of the main rail, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to be of the same height as the rail-head n of the slide F.

F is a slide forming with its elevated railhead a a section of switclrrail, B, when in the position shown in Fig. 1. Said slide rests and slides on a pair of short rails, S S, arranged at right angles with, the main-track rail A, and secured thereto by means of angle fish-plates, one of which is shown at O in Fig. 3, and are of the same height as said rail A, as shown in said figure. Said slide F is connected with said rails S by means of the hooked lugs V, secured to its under side, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, which lugs are arranged to respectively inclose the heads 01' said rails h in such manner that said slide may reciprocate thereon, and so said slide will beheld firmly to said rails and not be displaced by the wheels of a passing train. D D are connecting rods connecting said slide with the cranks i -i of the rock-shaft t, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The said slide F is made, preferably, of a rolled plate in such a manner as to Form the elevated rail-head 21, forming a track supplying the section of track B removed at its intersection with maintrack rail A, and form a continuous switchtrack rail over said main-track rail at their intersection. Said slide F is made a trifle longer than the opening in rail B, so that when it is moveil to the position shown in Fig. 1 its ends will rest at each end against the web or side of said rail, while its rail-head )1 will supply the space between the ends of said rail B over the main-track rail A to form a continuous side-track rail at that place over said main-t rack rail. The said slide when in the position shown in Fig. l rests on the top of the main-track rail A and on the blocks Z Z, (shown in Fig. 2,) secured on the ties at its sides, forming a solid foundation for said slide to rest upon when it is in position shown in Fig. l at the time the wheels of a train are passing over it. The said slide is prevented from being displaced and moved too far over outside the rail B by means of its ends overlapping and resting against the side oi said rail, as shown, so that the pitmen l) and cranks i are not relied on altogether for that purpose. The cranked rock-shaft L is provided with a lever, e, for oscillating it, and the cranks for operating the slide and 0 point rails simultaneously to set the switch either for the main or side track.

The principal new feature in this in vention consists in the use of the slide forming a section of the rail B of the side track over the 5 unbroken main rail.

1 am aware it is not new to use a slide forming a section of both the main and side track rail, and adapted to form a continuous track of either rail alternately by being moved lat- Ioo orally; but I am not aware of such a slide-being used to form a section of the side-track rail over the main unbroken rail at its point of intersection with the main. unbroken rail and adapted to slide over the top of the main rail, as in. this case. I am also aware of the use of short swinging rails pivoted at one end and adapted to swing OVGl the main rail to form a section of the side-track rail. I do not claim such acknowledged old constructions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows, to wit:

1. In combination with the main unbroken. rails A and A, the side-track rail B, having an open section at its point of crossing the main rail A and elevated above the plane of said main rail, the side-track railB, the slide F, having the rail-head n, for supplying the open section of rail B above rail A, and arranged to be longer than the open section of rail B and engage its sides adjacent to its open section, pitrnen g D D, rock-shaft O, having the lever 0, blocks Z Z, and crankst' i i, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a railroad-switch, in combination with a switch-rail having an open section at its point of crossing the main unbroken railand elevated to be above .the plane of the said main rail, a sliding-rail section adapted to slide over the main rail and supply the open section of the side-track rail when the switch is set for the side track, substantially as and substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a railroad-switch, in combination with the two unbroken main-track rails, a switchrail having an open section at its point of crossing one of the inain-track rails and arranged to be on a higher plane at that point than the main rail it crosses, and a sliding switch rail section adapted to reciprocate above the unbroken main r'ail when the switch is set for the side track, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In the railroad-switch shown and described, in combination with the side-track rail B, having an open section at its point of crossing the main unbroken rail A, the reciprocating rail section F, arranged to be longer than said open section of rail B, so its ends will engage the side thereof, and having the rail-head n, for forming a continuous rail of rail B over the unbroken main rail A, and having the lugs V, rails S S, pitmen D D,

blocks Z Z, and rock-shaft 0, having the cranks i z", substantially as and for. the purpose set forth.

6. In a railroad-switch, a sliding-rail section forming a section of thesiding-rail above its point of crossing the main unbroken rail'when the switch is set for the side track, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

PETER DE LONG. V\Vitnesses: I

THos. H. HUTCHINS, K. C. HUTcHINs. 

